Prospect Park, the producer of the new OLTL and All My Children episodes and thus the licensee of both shows’ rosters of characters, “has been extremely difficult to deal with on this issue,” a source tells TV Guide Magazine, “so GH basically said, ‘Screw it! We’ll create all-new characters!’ It’s the only way GH can get past the problem and get on with business.”

Shortly after its second bid at rebooting AMC and OLTL gained traction, Prospect Park said in a statement that characters such as Easton’s John McBain and Alderson’s Starr “are obviously essential to our production efforts, and a large reason we licensed the program. We also understand that legions of General Hospital fans have grown to love these actors and characters … So even though we are paying ABC millions of dollars to license the shows, we have been and continue to be willing to equally share the characters with General Hospital and ABC.”

GH and OLTL fans, what do you think of this seemingly official wrinkle? And is anyone fretting over the phrase “that in no way resemble the current ones”? Will Howarth dress in drag to play a Haunted Star chanteuse? Will Alderson return as a plastic-surgeried Nicholas “Domino” Van Buren?

UPDATE: The new OLTL has released ths first photos of Roger Howarth’s (temporary) return as Todd:

I love these actors and what they have brought to GH. I have never watched OLTL, so I am not so much attached to their characters, happy to have this group in any capacity, and will accept them as anyone, think they have the talent to pull it off.

And how long do people really think OLTL and AMC are really going to last in this new format? There’s a lot more to choose from online, particularly regarding new programming. And a lot of that new programming is innovative, groundbreaking, etc., and that’s what PP is up against. That said, RC must have some great ideas up his sleeve, because if he’s been able to accomplish all of these 50th anniversary reunions with up to minute action packed storylines, and give a brief nod to those characters who travailed on PC together and then ran into each other “again” in PC in a really creative way. Maybe Roger Howarth can return as a certain “angel” who would be nothing like Todd Manning. Or how about as a re-cast alien come back to visit an old life (lest we forget the outlandish stuff GH has been capable of doing) Hmm, is that a freeze I detect in the air, Tracy?

For goodness sakes. Create new characters with the same faces? What a stupid move. I want to know why they cannot leave well enough alone? Todd’s character showed more flexibility, and range on GH than on OLTL. I even liked John McBain better on GH and his chemistry with Sam cannot be denied. As for Starr, she is also a more mature and less troubled woman on GH. I had long stopped watching OLTL before it’s final demise. Doubt I will become a fan of it on line and PP or ABC/Disney; whomever is throwing monkey wrenches into the mix, need to stop. For once think of the fans, bring back John, Todd & Starr to GH!

I’m really not interested in the politics here. One company is easier to work with, the other one is, blah blah blah blah blah…

My personal opinion is that these stars should work where ever they want to work. No one wants to watch John McBain not played by Easten. And while we did get a Todd that wasn’t played by Howarth, there is still a Todd character that’s not played by Howarth, his brother (which you could probably recast easier than recasting Todd a second time). So let the actors decide where they want to work and stop playing games so that unneeded character changes don’t have to happen.

You could even have both shows have their own Todd and McBain as part of two divergent continuities. You need to make it less confusing for people who can’t wrap their head around that? Then just change the last names of the GH characters but don’t change their stories.

I’m just happy these characters get to stay on. Even though it sucks especially for John/Sam and Starr/Michael. But I’m betting they will still pair these couples up somehow. I miss John McBain, hopefully he’ll come back a cop though. I want Starr back with Michael, but she can’t be the Q heir bc that’ll be impossible!

All GH has to do is change the characters last names to something close to original names. Todd & Starr Manning could be Todd & Starr Matting and John McBain could be John McCain. Who cares as long as GH gets to keep these fabulous actors! True fans wouldn’t mind the slight name change if it means seeing more Carly & Todd, Sam & John and Starr & Michael romance.

I am a fan of both shows love them both. Very upset when oltl was taken off. Abc created these shows and charactors and has the rights to them. I enjoyed the cross over of the charactes and want rhem to be the same charactes as they were. It was great chemistry with these actors. Please dont change their charactors on gh.

ABC will cancel GH in the coming months — PP will pick up those rights, and carry on the show in some form online — at that TIME we can ‘share’ the characters between OLTL, GH, and AMC for that matter. I don’t blame PP for the struggles ABC/GH will have re-introducing the actors as different characters — ABC is at fault for not seeing the value in daytime drama. They just want cheap content for the daytime audience. They don’t feel that the daytime numbers support the high production costs of soaps, and it is always a numbers game. It will be interesting to see how these online versions perform in the short run. I live in Canada, I will NOT get to watch the online episodes; because no broadcaster in Canada has picked up the rights, and Hulu is geoblocked. I don’t think that iTunes Canada will even offer up the content. I hope the programs over-perform online, and PP will think to expand their territory to Canada. Happy Anniversary GH!

Just ridiculous. Another example of Prospect Park not caring about the integrity of the characters, storylines, or the wishes of the fans. I will not be watching the reboots of my formerly favorite soap, OLTL.

I have watched GH for the past twenty years, since I was a kid and I absolutely Love it!!! However, I think this whole McBain rebranded concept is not very good. Star is pulling it off but not buying it from McBain

I missed a couple days of GH a few weeks back and suddenly Starr had changed her name. I thought that she might have her aunt Vickis personality disorder then John was a doctor and then Starr had a new mom (from As the World Turns I think, maybe The Guiding Light). Thank you everyone for clearing things up for confussed me.
Why couldn’t they do both shows since I hear the new AMC and OLTL are only doing a few half hour episodes a week now, down from 4?
Being on GH could only promote the new Prospect Park stuff. What a dumb move on there part.
I sure miss One Life to LIve.. To poor to buy it so it is gone forever for me. They were my family for 35 years even when everyone went to the caves of Eternia. I morn the loss worse then a human dieing. To this day I still will not watch the Chew especially when that Mario Batalli idiot made such nasty comments about All My children after it was cancelled but still on the air.

You BLEW it. I’m done, since it began I’ve watched, but with all the News interruptions & this character change mess I’ll find something else to watch, or DVR to watch in at my timing. I thought you had just butchered it, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Why didn’t you just tell us you were starting an entirely different show, that would have at least been honest

I had never watched GH, but did OLTL for years. Like many, I started to watch because of these characters. I was following them one day, had a medical emergency, and because I had only set to record 5 episodes at a time, I am still completely confused as to why the characters that had moved to the new show as “themselves”, still look the same , but are completely different “people”. Very bad move, and I’m not sure that I will keep watching, knowing that this is about property rights, and not about fans. Besides, I don’t know that I will even be able to watch the revived OLTL if there is a charge.
Sadly for me, that means that I will still be missing my old show, but will be giving up a new one as well. Apparently contacts are more important than viewers.
Thank you for my old shows.
ES.

Todd and blair forever. Oltl needs kassie and roger. I will watch the new oltl if roger and kassie play their true roles. I will also be willing to sign up to pay for hulu plus. Please keep todd and blair together ,they are pure magic to watch. Make todd and blair the ptb in landville. Todd with blair against the world, pay back for the people who are trying to hurt or kill their family.